Madam Tussauds Yanks Beyoncé Waxwork Amid Criticism

It’s hard to imagine a more famous, recognizable likeness than Beyoncé’s—she’s one of the planet’s biggest stars and millions of fans follow her every move. When Madam Tussauds unveiled their latest Beyoncé waxwork to the public, the disappointment was deafening.

First, there was the skin tone, apparently several shades lighter than real-life Beyoncé. Then there was the face, a round, gormless rendition of Bey’s fierce, angular visage. Twitter lit up with jokes and criticisms decrying the effort and today, Madam Tussauds announced that they’ve removed the sculpture from circulation.

“Our talented team of sculptors take every effort to ensure we accurately color match all of our wax figures to the celebrity being depicted,” the wax museum told The New York Times in a statement. “Lighting within the attraction combined with flash photography may distort and misrepresent the color of our wax figures, which is something our sculptors are unable to account for at the production stage.”

Better luck next time! Behold the original sculpture in all its glory: